With profiteers, port guards, rebels, and pirates, things were really getting more complicated.

The two hid behind the stone sculpture and listened silently to the conversation between the three.

It was clear that the three of them had worked together many times, so they were familiar with one another. There were no scruples as they conversed.

“Management has been too strict lately. Can there be fewer ships? No matter how many there are, we can’t keep hiding,” the military official said.

“I also can’t do anything. If you don’t want the money, then don’t take it. Something happened to the Liu family in the capital, and I risked my life during this chaotic time to smuggle the goods,” Wang Qi said.

“What is in the transport?” The pirate asked.

“Don’t worry about this. After receiving the money, just take care of your subordinates and don’t make any plans for the Chamber of Commerce’s ships. If you violate this, we will suffer numerous casualties and attract the attention of others. Now that the Sea King is back, we must be more cautious.”

“Brother, it’s not that we won’t tell you. To be honest, we don’t know what is inside the ship either. We just provide the ships and waterways, and then falsify the records. We don’t even know where the ships end up going or who takes them over,” Wang Qi said with a smile.

The two people eavesdropping exchanged glances. It seemed that they had eavesdropped in vain. More useless information.

The pirate seemed to be disdainful, and said: “You Great Zhou people are really interesting. You don’t know anything and still dare to take random jobs?”

The two fell silent under his ridicule, and the military officer seemed a little unhappy. “To be honest, isn’t it good to have a safe and steady way of making money now? Brother, I heard that your men harassed a nearby island a few days ago. We have a good partnership, but we must not break our promises. With all of your ruckus, if I am transferred, we will no longer be able to cooperate in the future.”

Liu Zhenqing was a little surprised. The excuse given by this military officer was too far-fetched. The pirate didn’t understand, but he did. Even if pirates attacked the island, what did that have to do with him and the navy that managed the port? There was no interference in their cooperation at all. They were clearly deceiving the pirates. Could it be that while the military officer was making money, he also had somewhat of a conscience and wanted to bring peace to the people of the islands?

The fact that the islands in the outer sea had been spared from attacks in recent years was not entirely the result of Zhao Haicheng, but also this batch of transactions. Did Zhao Haicheng know about it? 

Just as he was pondering, Huo Fenglie standing beside him suddenly raised his arms and embraced him directly, bringing them close together. Having been hugged tightly, Liu Zhenqing was stunned for a moment. Although he was somewhat secretly delighted, he also understood rationally that Er-gou, that blockhead, would not use such little tricks.

Sure enough, he looked up and saw Huo Fenglie intricate the direction of the roof with his eyes.

So, they were not the only ones eavesdropping. There was someone lurking on the roof to listen in?

The pirate continued to say: “You are too cautious. Those who fight us have little to do with you, right? And we are here to help you, ah. The Sea King is back. If we don’t do something to stir things up, it won’t be good if they discover our partnership.”

“Are you trying to threaten me?”

“Of course not, we have worked together for many years. Aren’t we good brothers? We don’t want the Sea King to take over, so we must naturally think of more ways to take care of him. The last few times he went to sea, we unfortunately didn’t capture him. We attacked the island because we want him to go out to sea and attack us, so that we can catch him.”

“Ha, he’s the Sea King. You’re going to catch him?”

“Why can’t we catch him? When we catch him, he’ll just be a Sea Bastard!”

“Peace brings wealth, peace brings wealth,” Wang Qi quickly persuaded.

At this moment, there was a sudden boom from the roof, and a person descended through it, kicking away the screen in the middle. The three people shouted in surprise.

“Who is it?”

Instantly, there was the sound of fighting.

Liu Zhenqing also wanted to scream, because the screen that the man kicked away hit the stone sculpture directly, making it tilt and fall toward them. Although there was a wall blocking it, so it would not completely crush them, they were still slightly squashed. 

Liu Zhenqing was not injured, but he saw that Huo Fenglie’s back was pressing against the stone sculpture, and he must have suffered some of the force. Perhaps Huo Fenglie didn’t care, but Liu Zhenqing was still distressed. He raised his hands past Huo Fenglie’s waist, trying to push and help remove some of the pressure from Huo Fenglie. 

Huo Fenglie looked up and shook his head, indicating that it was unnecessary.

But Liu Zhenqing still insisted. Only, he was unaware that the pressure from behind was nothing to Huo Fenglie, and it was the pressure from the front that was the greatest. Initially, he was embracing Liu Zhenqing, but now Liu Zhenqing was also embracing his waist. Their bodies were extremely close, and the aroma of wine just now made him feel a little unfocused. If it wasn’t for the chaos outside, Huo Fenglie would certainly be in a different mood.

Two hissing sounds should be the sounds of swords being drawn, but Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie were blocked too tightly by the stone sculpture. Unless they pushed it away and looked out, they wouldn’t be able to see what was happening. Even the movement of stabilizing the stone sculpture would attract attention.

Liu Zhenqing was speechless. Given the current situation, he had already scolded the idiot who broke in dozens of times in his heart.

Wasn’t that person here to eavesdrop? Why was he so impatient even if he didn’t want to listen anymore, ah. And he came down right away. Why kick over the screen and make such noise? Was he not afraid that the people outside would hear his intrusion?

Where had this reckless man come from? Don’t involve these two in your recklessness, ah.

Suddenly, Huo Fenglie’s forehead bumped Liu Zhenqing’s. He looked at Huo Fenglie for a moment, and saw him indicating toward a certain part of the stone carving with his eyes. Liu Zhenqing took the opportunity to look over. It turned out that the stone sculpture had been cracked, and if the two of them tilted their heads, they could see through it. However, there was a fallen screen outside blocking it. If they wanted to see, they would have to poke through it.

Liu Zhenqing had a clear understanding and withdrew one hand, reaching for the dagger at his waist. He could use the dagger to silently cut through the embroidered cloth.

However, the two of them were too close to each other at the moment, making it very difficult for Liu Zhenqing to reach down. They couldn’t act rashly.

Liu Zhenqing could only feel around and try his best to grope for the place where the dagger was pressed. In the chaos, he felt as if he had touched the dagger. But it had a strange shape and felt different? The place his hand went was so crowded, so he didn’t think much about it. However, Huo Fengle’s body instantly tensed, and his breath became hot as it blew against Liu Zhenqing’s ear. His eyes widened, and he lowered his head in disbelief, staring at Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t paying attention and thought he had found the right thing, so he grabbed it with difficulty, only to hear Huo Fenglie take a sudden breath. A low, hoarse sound came from his throat.

Of his two hands, one was braced against the wall and the other was holding up part of the stone sculpture to prevent it from hitting Liu Zheqning, so he couldn’t free his hands at all. He could just barely move his body.

But Liu Zhenqing was startled by this. If they moved randomly, the stone sculpture and screen pressing on them would fall down and expose them.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t get a good grip, and looked up at Huo Fenglie in confusion, only to see that Huo Fenglie was very strange at this time. His face was red, and his eyes seemed deep and liquid, seemingly clear but…..murky. Huo Fenglie stared straight at him, and his heart suddenly pounded.

He inexplicably felt that the way Huo Fenglie was looking at him was particularly dangerous at this moment.

Suddenly, the knot of Huo Fenglie’s throat rolled, his brow furrowed, and his eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was suppressing something.

Right then, Liu Zhenqing’s clever little head finally realized that something wasn’t right. Because the thing in his hand seemed to have changed…..

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t react. His face went red and his heart went still as he touched it. It seemed that it was still gradually changing. Huo Fenglie’s entire body trembled due to his actions, and his head suddenly dropped onto Liu Zhenqing’s neck. 

Naturally, Liu Zhenqing would not mess around at a critical moment, and let go of poor “little” Er-gou. He had turned to touch his side, but happened to touch in the wrong direction. Now, he successfully took out the dagger.

Liu Zhenqing appeared to be completely indifferent. He grabbed the dagger, bit the scabbard, and pulled the blade out with one hand. Then he looked at Huo Fenglie and raised his chin.

Huo Fenglie was still in a state of chaos. Before his bodily reaction could subside, he watched as Liu Zhenqing gave him a wink. 

At that moment, Huo Fenglie thought he understood wrong, but when he saw Liu Zhenqing biting the dagger sheath and leaning one end toward him, he still instinctively opened his mouth.

In an instant, the two of them exchanged the dagger scabbard. Huo Fenglie bit it, and the strange ambiguity flowed into the exchange of eyes between the two. Only then did Liu Zhenqing turn his head to cut open the screen. Only the slightly raised corners of his lips betrayed his good mood.

It was silent now. The fight was clearly over.

And Huo Fenglie already had flawless hearing. He could only embrace this person with a heated body, using his internal strength to suppress his impulses, his mind in a state of mush. The delicate dagger sheath in his mouth, inlaid with jade, was nearly broken by him. Every nerve in his head seemed to have been severed at that moment, and he didn’t have time to react when he was pulled back again.

The light from outside came out. Liu Zhenqing was already looking outside, and Huo Fenglie had to get closer for their own safety.

Out there was a man with two blades, one long and one short, with one of them against the pirate’s throat. The one in his backhand was across the military official’s throat, and one long, straight leg directly headlocked Wang Qi, who was kneeling on the floor.

One person and two blades had completely suppressed three people.

The two of them could only see the man’s back. He was very tall and short-haired, with braids underneath, a very rare hairstyle that looked a bit unruly.

He was unfamiliar to Huo Fenglie, but somewhat surprisingly familiar to Liu Zhenqing. After all, this hairstyle was uncommon. Coupled with the long and short blades in his hands, Liu Zhenqing seemed to be able to determine his identity.

“Good man, spare my life, I have something to say,” Wang Qi wailed.

“Hmph, don’t tell it to me, tell it to the Sea King!”

“The Sea Bastard? Sea King? You’re Song Xingmu’s subordinate!” The pirate immediately looked toward the military official.

The officials’ expression was already extremely ugly. It was obvious that he knew this person.

“Yi Chuan, what are you trying to do? Does Captain Song know you are here? Why don’t we…..sit down and talk.”

“Cut the shit, I told you to talk to the Sea King.” Yi Chuan was obstinate, and said without mercy: “Don’t move! Or my swords won’t discriminate, and no one will be left alive.”

“You want to capture us to meet Captain Song?” The military official’s face instantly paled, and he said directly to the two people in front of Yi Chuan: “You weigh for yourselves what should and shouldn’t be said.”

Yi Chuan promptly pressed the handle of his blade, and the military official’s neck flowed with red.

“It seems that Song Xingmu has been targeting me for a long while?” The military official said coldly and without fear. “We are just friends getting together. What do you mean by this? Aren’t you afraid I will inform the elder Commander Song?”

Yi Chuan scoffed coldly and couldn’t be bothered to speak.

The military official couldn’t help but say: “Yi Chuan, you are a fine man. You have been following Song Xingmu all this time and haven’t seen him promote you to an official position. Why not…..”

“Laozi doesn’t want to be an official, so stop talking nonsense and shut up.”

The military official skewed his eyes. He couldn’t help but think of some rumors, and said: “Could it be that you are actually attracted to Song Xingmu? If you like handsome men, I can help you find one…..”

If Yi Chuan was hot-tempered before, now he was directly enraged.

“You disgust me, you little fuck. Who likes men? Disgusting, disgusting!” Yi Chuan seemed to have been stimulated, and he flew into a rage, raising a hand to knock the military official unconscious.

Suddenly, the door opened and a group of people rushed in, one person walking slowly along with them.

The man didn’t walk with the energy of a martial artist. Instead, he swayed as if he had drunk too much. His hair was tied up casually, but the tips had a natural curl, with a reddish color at the end of the hair tail. A bead-like glass earring hung from one ear.

“Why are you here so late!” Yi Chuan said unhappily when he saw the visitor.

“Aiya, sorry, sorry. I finally bid and got Xi Ran, so I naturally couldn’t bear to part with a warm and fragrant body and wanted to stay for a while longer.”

“You! You Sea Bastard! You made me do that work, but you just…..I also want to see Lady Xi Ran!”

“This is what you’re focusing on? Wait, what is that new insult?”

“Captain Song!” The kidnapped military official couldn’t help but interrupt the conversation and argue for himself.

Song Xingmu smiled and finally looked at the military official, saying: “Xiao Li, you want to see the king of hell sooner rather than later?”

The words contained a smile, but instantly made the room feel cold. Speechless, the military official felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Song Xingmu did not waste any time, and said frankly: “Arrest the three of them for colluding with the pirate leader. I am not mistaken.”

He was not mistaken, but he didn’t tell the whole story. The expressions of the three criminals varied, and they didn’t know which crime was more likely to spare their lives.

Then they heard the military official shout: “Captain Song is arresting people randomly. How mighty. Commander Song will prove our innocence.”

As soon as these words came out, the other two immediately knew which direction to take.

“What leader of the pirates? I am just a foreign merchant.”

“General Song, we are dutiful merchants, there has been a misunderstanding.”

“Really? Then I will wait for my uncle to come to the door and explain for you.” Having said this, Song Xingmu raised his black-gloved hand and waved it, and the team members swiftly tied the three of them up and took them away.

Just as Yi Chuan was about to go out, he saw Song Xingmu close the door and look at him with his arms folded.

Yi Chuan’s expression changed slightly. “What are you doing?”

“What do you think?” Song Xingmu smiled.

Yi Chuan immediately turned hostile. “Despicable, you just don’t want me to go to Lady Xi Ran. You’ve already spent the money, can’t I go and talk to her? I hardly ever get to see her.”

The corners of Song Xingmu’s mouth twitched, and he walked forward slowly to approach Yi Chuan.

Every time Yi Chuan was approached like this by Song Xingmu, he felt an inexplicable sense of oppression. It was likely because he was beaten too hard when he was young and could no longer prop himself up. Even though Song Xingmu was no longer his opponent, he still felt suppressed.

“What are you doing? You, you don’t want to take her. You don’t want to marry her, so why are you delaying my marriage?”

“You’re not marrying Xi Ran. If there is someone in a person’s heart, they will never marry.”

It wasn’t until he forced this person into the qin room that Song Xingmu smiled slightly and suddenly looked over. It was obvious that the two of them had known each other for ages and had a tacit understanding.

Yi Chuan’s eyes went cold at once, and he instantly pulled out his two swords, turning to face the stone sculpture behind them, which was also the direction Song Xingmu had looked just now.

“Who’s there? Come out!”

In the next second, Yi Chuan rushed over impatiently. The moment his blade was about to impact the screen, the screen and stone sculpture exploded and shattered in all directions.

Yi Chuan shielded himself with one blade and moved the other to shield Song Xingmu, otherwise they would have been hit by the debris.

A black shadow flashed, and Yi Chuan flew to intercept it.

After a quick aerial fight, it was obvious that of the two people embracing, only one of them knew martial arts.

Yi Chuan felt that this person was a master martial artist, but with the burden he was carrying, he could still be fought.

But he heard Song Xingmu call out: “Yi Chuan, don’t kill them. Perhaps these visitors are guests?”

And Liu Zhenqing didn’t want Huo Fenglie to fight. After all, the old injury had not fully healed yet, so it wasn’t suitable for him to fight against a master.

What’s more, there were two masters here.

So when he heard what Song Xingmu said, Liu Zhenqing changed his decision to not have contact with Song Xingmu for the time being.

“Then stop, these visitors are indeed guests.” 

Liu Zhenqing spoke out.

Huo Fenglie immediately stopped what he was doing, and fell to the side while carrying him. Yi Chuan also landed in front of Song Xingmu, constantly vigilant.

This scene was a little strange to Liu Zhenqing. Song Xingmu’s martial arts should be better than Yi Chuan’s, and he had beaten Yi Chuan to tears many times before. Why was it that Yi Chuan was the one taking action everywhere now? Moreover…..the long and short swords were Song Xingmu’s weapons.

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Chapter Seventy-Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventy-Eight